US reiterates concerns about Pakistan’s ballistic missile programme

WASHINGTON: The US Department of State Tuesday expressed its commitment to deny support to Pakistan’s ballistic missile programme.

Last week, the State Department imposed sanctions on suppliers to Pakistan’s ballistic missile programme and took action against five entities and one individual for their involvement in the proliferation of ballistic missile and controlled missile equipment and technology.

The department designated the Beijing Research Institute of Automation for Machine Building Industry (RIAMB) pursuant to the Executive Order 13382, which targets proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) and their means of delivery.

RIAMB has worked with Pakistan’s National Development Complex (NDC) -- which the US assesses is involved in the development and production of Pakistan’s long-range ballistic missiles -- to procure equipment for testing of large diameter rocket motors, including the Shaheen-3 and Ababeel, but also potentially for larger systems.

This was the third time in the last one year that the US imposed sanctions on entities providing equipment to Pakistan. Earlier, the State department took such action in October 2023, and then April 2024 designating six PRC entities and one Belarus entity that had worked to supply Pakistan’s missile programme. The US Department of Commerce listed numerous Pakistani and third country entities as well.

“We have been clear and consistent about our concerns of Pakistan’s ballistic missile program for many years,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said during the daily briefing.

“The US is committed to strengthening the international nonproliferation regime by taking action against networks supporting activities of proliferation concern,” he said. “It has been our longstanding policy to deny support to Pakistan’s long range ballistic missile program,” the spokesperson reaffirmed adding that the US will continue to use sanctions and other tools to ensure that its national security could not be impacted and that the US financial system could not be used by proliferators. He acknowledged that Pakistan had been a long-term partner of the US but justifying the sanctions imposed, he said, “What this action shows is that there continue to be places where we have disagreement and when we have disagreements, we don’t hesitate to act on those to protect America’s interest.”